


The Russian Lily

by Asymmetrical_Snowflake



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Disney References, F/M, Fiction, M/M, Mpreg, Mulan (1998) References, Multi, Other, Shounen-ai, War, Yaoi, Yaoi Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2020-11-22 12:20:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20874113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asymmetrical_Snowflake/pseuds/Asymmetrical_Snowflake
Summary: 6/29 - STORY ON HOLDInspired by "Mulan".Yurio is the first-born child of Viktor Nikiforov and Yuri Katsuki, half-Russian and half-Japanese. When his mother, Yuri, urges him to see a matchmaker, he obliges but things go rather horribly. In the aftermath, it is soon revealed that China has invaded Japan and his home country is now at war. Yurio's attempt to take Yuri's place in the draft is rejected due to his appearance, as foreigners are exempt from serving. With his mother physically unwell and with a toddler to care for at home, Yurio decides to take his mother's place in the army - whether he likes it or not. So he disguises himself, and off into the night he goes in hope to bring honor to his family. When he is assigned to work under the leadership of Otabek Altin - another half-Japanese man of high military standing - things become complicated. Will Yurio get through training, battle and the war without revealing his true identity?





	1. Chapter 1: True Colors

**Author's Note:**

> So this is something I started working on a while back, between "Born To Make History". I only have a few chapters written up so far, but I wanted to post a little something while I work on continuing my Hetalia On Ice series... but I didn't want to post this until I posted the final chapter of "Born To Make History" cuz Sapporo is in this, and I wanted her to appear in my other fic first. She'll play a much bigger role in the Hetalia On Ice universe, but she has a minor role in this story as well.
> 
> And just a note... I took some liberties with this, since it is fan fiction after all. XD So Nikolai is Viktor's father, and both Yurio and Otabek are half-Japanese. It's just fiction, I just rolled with it.
> 
> I know this world probably isn't nearly as fleshed out as the setup I came up with for my Hetalia On Ice series... but I am certainly trying to bring this world to life as well.
> 
> So without further ado, I present The Russian Lily! ^^ Enjoy! <3

* * *

It was to be twenty years ago that spring when Yuri and Viktor met and fell in love. A traveling salesman from Russia who moved to Japan and settled in the beautiful countryside; on his first day traveling into the village he visited the local tea house, where a young server caught his eye. The boy with hair black as the night's sky, eyes as deep and brown as the autumn leaves, and a blush to envy that of the cherries to bloom on the cherry trees when his gaze met the Russian man's. Long, beautiful hair as shiny as the ocean sparkling in the sunset of the most elegant shade of silver, and eyes so blue that birds would dare to think they were a part of the sky.  
  
Yuri was but a simple young man, never thought to be extraordinary, nor had he ever left the town he grew up in. With his parents passed on, he and his sister held jobs to care for themselves, while holding onto hope that some day they would marry and have families. Viktor was the intriguing, handsome foreigner who caught the eye of everyone in town; men and women alike wished to know him, most in more ways then one. But it was the one boy who shied around him that caught his attention the most; and, upon being able to converse with him, managed to ask him out on a proper date.  
  
Six months later, they were engaged. After another six months, they were married, and Yuri joined Viktor in his countryside house. For the first year of their marriage, Viktor and Yuri traveled around the land, opening the younger man to new places and experiences. After returning home, Yuri began to dream of owning his own tea house, as he had before his parents passed away. Viktor soon did everything he could to make that dream a reality, and a year later had secured the funds they needed to move to another town, purchase a home, and open the tea house of Yuri's dreams. And, when Mari expressed how much she would miss them, Viktor insisted she accompany them and live with them.  
  
After their second anniversary, the tea house was open, and business flourished. Yuri and Mari's years of working had given them the experience needed to run things smoothly, and nary a problem arose. At the same time, Viktor maintained a simple farm land on their property, to supplement their income and allow them to save extra money.  
  
When their business took off, Yuri felt a great sense of accomplishment in his life that he had not experienced before. One day, almost out of the blue, he felt like it was time to accomplish another dream: having a child. When Yuri became pregnant, they discussed names for their child; Viktor stroked Yuri's stomach one afternoon when he thought of one. "How about for a girl, Yuria? After you, my darling." he said with a soft smile, placing a kiss on Yuri's cheek.  
  
"Yuria... that sounds pretty." Yuri responded with a small blush. Placing his hand on his stomach, he felt the child move. "What about for a boy?" he asked, stroking his stomach as Viktor did the same, in thought.  
  
"Hm..." he hummed, leaning his head against Yuri's shoulder. "What about Yurio?"  
  
On March first, two months before their fourth anniversary, Yuri gave birth to a beautiful, blonde baby boy after two intense days of labor. The moment he laid his eyes on their son, he thought of that day again; when the baby was wrapped in a blanket and placed in his arms, he looked down at him with a smile. "Yurio..." he said thoughtfully, gently brushing his fingers down the baby's cheek. "I think you picked a good name, my darling."  
  
Viktor blinked in surprise, blushing slightly with a small smile. "You like it?"  
  
"I do." the black-haired man replied. "He feels like a Yurio," He looked up to his husband. "Don't you think?"  
  
The Russian gave a simple nod, brushing the hair from Yuri's forehead and placed a soft kiss there. "I agree, dorogoy."  
  
As the years passed, Yurio grew up into a lovely boy. He had a fiery spirit, a bit of a temper, but he loved his family very much. At age six, he accompanied his parents on a trip to Russia, where he met his grandfather, Nikolai, who came home to Japan to live with them. Yurio developed a close relationship with the man, which was something he treasured dearly.  
  
To everyone's surprise, when Yurio was ten years old, Yuri became pregnant again. It was rare for a man to bear a child more then once, as if it were a blessing from God above. However, when he gave birth, tragedy struck.  
  
When Yuri had given birth to Yurio, it had taken two agonizing days, and several weeks for him to recover enough to walk again. The reason being that he suffered an undiscovered hip injury that nearly became fatal when giving birth to a daughter. Yuri lost a lot of blood, lost consciousness several times when in labor, and passed out when she was finally born. Everyone was so afraid he was going to die that it felt like a miracle when Yuri woke up twelve hours later. He was deathly pale and dehydrated, but well enough to hold the baby and nurse her for the first time. Viktor had tried to get her to nurse while Yuri was asleep, but she didn't want to cooperate.  
  
After their daughter's birth, a doctor informed them that Yuri bearing a child again would be very slim, but if something were to happen again it could be very fatal. Yuri had suffered a broken hip from how hard it had been on his body to give birth a second time, so they were advised to take caution should they make love again.  
  
Despite all odds, Yuri managed to start walking again after nearly six months, but only with a crutch to aide him. Even then, it gave him great pain, and he was never really the same since then. The light that came from that difficult time was, of course, their beautiful, healthy daughter with hair of silver and eyes as brown as her mother's. Her name was Sapporo, after the first town Viktor and Yuri visited together on their honeymoon; nicknamed Ruu by Yurio, as when he was little he mispronounced it as "Sapporu", and thought the "ruu" sound was cute and would fit his baby sister.  
  
As Yurio and Sapporo grew up before their parents' eyes, Yuri felt an ache in his heart. His parents passed away when he was only eighteen, and so they never met Viktor or their children. Yuri's family meant a lot to him, and having almost lost them when Sapporo was born, he sat Yurio down for a private talk one night. Yurio, having taken over certain duties at the tea house when his mother was injured, served them the tea as they began their talk. Yuri told him a bit about his parents again, whose portrait was in a place of honor in their sitting room, and how he wished they could have met his children and his husband.  
  
"Darling, I..." Yuri began as he stared into his tea cup. "I love you very much, and... you mean the world to me. I think about my parents every day; how much they would have loved you, and how I wish they could have known I would be taken care of before they died. When I was your age, they arranged appointments for me to meet a matchmaker, and I rejected them. I thought it was ridiculous, that nothing would happen, that things would just... happen. And, then before I could meet your father, they died. It broke my mother's heart to know I didn't have any admirers or the like. They didn't want me to end up alone, and... if anything happens to me, I don't want you to be alone either, darling. Your aunt... she's told me before how she wishes she had listened to our mother as well. She says she has no regrets for how her life turned out... but, I want you to have options. Even if... things don't work out, I--"  
  
"I'll meet with a matchmaker."  
  
Yuri blinked when he heard his son speak, looking across the table at him.  
  
"If it'll make you feel better, that's what I'll do. I don't promise to fall in love with the first guy I see, or even like them, but I'll do it. But I don't wanna pretend to be something I'm not. If I don't get matched to someone who doesn't like me for who I am, I don't want to bother with them."  
  
Yuri smiled, letting out a soft breath and carefully reached over to place his hand on his son's cheek. "That's all I could ever ask of you. Just be yourself, that's all that matters when you are looking for someone. I want you to be happy, and loved, as your father and I are."  
  
"I know, Mama." Yurio responded, placing his hand over his mother's. That same hand he grasped desperately, tears raking through his body when he thought the man was dying; the hand that bathed him as a child and stroked his long, blonde hair when he was sick or upset. "I want to do this, on my terms. I want to make you happy."  
  
"Having you as a son makes me happy." Yuri attempted to lean over and kiss his son's forehead, but cringed when pain radiated from his hip and he had to sit back down, rubbing his aching side. Immediately, Yurio went to sit beside him, grasping onto his shoulders worriedly, asking if he needed anything. "I-I'm alright, darling... sometimes I still forget to take it easy. Especially after a day at work..."  
  
"Mother..." Yurio made sure his mother was comfortable again, pouring him another cup of tea and handed it to him. "Here, take a drink. It'll help the pain."  
  
Yuri took a few, deep breaths and nodded, taking the cup from his son's hands and carefully took a sip. "Thank you, my little darling. Taking care of your mother like this when he's so useless..."  
  
"You're not useless, Mama." Yurio told him, kissing his cheek gently. "You have never been useless."  
  
Three months later, it was early autumn. The leaves on the trees had changed color; shades of red, orange, yellow and brown surrounded the land as the air grew colder.  
  
It was the morning of Yurio's appointment with the matchmaker, and any other person would be riddled with nervousness and worry. However, the boy was barely batting an eyelash as he casually finished his breakfast before taking care of his chores. It was like any other morning to him; he had almost forgotten about his appointment when, thankfully, Nikolai reminded him it was past the time he should have left to go into town to meet up with his father and get ready.  
  
Yuri, before his son left, sat at his parents' memorial to pray for the boy to have luck on his side. Had he not been in pain that morning, he would have accompanied his son into town, but was unable to. Nikolai sat with him for tea as Sapporo crawled in her mother's lap to nurse a bit, assuring his son-in-law that they could only wish for the best, and the rest was in fate's hands.  
  
And, shortly after, barking was heard and their brown dog, Makkachin, came running inside with a bag of chicken feed tied to his collar, which of course caused it to spread around on the floor. Yuri nearly dead-panned at the sight, bowing his head to Nikolai in apology when the elder man stood to clean it up.  
  
"Gotta hand it to him, Yuratchka is creative when something needs to be done." was all Nikolai said with a chuckle.

* * *

  
Viktor pulled his pocket watch from his pocket, clicking it open and looked into the silver object. The second hand ticked away, finding the time to be ten minutes before noon. "Damn it, we're cutting it really close. Where could he be? We told him to be here by eleven-thirty!"  
  
"Don't fret so much, Brother In-Law." Mari responded as she inspected her nails. "Yurio is on Yurio time. We'll still make the appointment."  
  
"I should have lit incense for your parents this morning and asked them to watch over my son..." Viktor sighed, rubbing his chin and feeling the slight stubble he had there.  
  
"What good could they do? They're the ones who are dead." Mari snorted. "We're the ones who have the real work to get done. I just hope he wasn't doing anything too strenuous this morning, his hair can be hard to de-tangle."  
  
"Yuri is counting on me to get this done because he can't be here to help. I don't want to disappoint him, this is important to him."  
  
Mari's gaze softened a bit, and she stepped over to Viktor, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry so much, Vik-kun. It's not like he's thirty and this is his only shot at being matched up with a husband. If things don't go perfectly, he still has time. He is only fifteen, after all."  
  
Viktor let out a soft breath and smiled. "Thank you, Mari. I don't know what we would do without you."  
  
Merely a moment later, they both picked their heads up and looked down the road when they heard a voice calling. **_"Papaaaa! Papa, I'm coming!"_**  
  
The familiar black and white horse came trotting down the dirt road, with his rider holding onto his harness with one hand. The blonde boy seated atop him side-saddle style waved his free hand, which held a pork bun in it, towards Viktor and Mari, with long locks of hair billowing behind him. He didn't even wait for the horse to slow down before he hopped off, landing cleanly on his feet, thanks in part to his years of practice in ballet. "I'm here!" he announced with a grin, tucking a bit of messy hair behind his ear.  
  
Viktor, upon taking in his son's somewhat disheveled appearance, gave him a firm stare, placing his hands on his hips. Yurio, upon seeing the no-nonsense expression on his father's face, blinked and asked, "What?..." Viktor didn't respond, he merely crossed his arms, tapping his fingers on his forearm. "But Papa, I was finishing my chores--"  
  
With an exasperated sigh, Viktor uncrossed his arms and shook his head. "Never mind that right now. Let's just get you cleaned up."  
  
Yurio sighed and nodded before being ushered inside by his father, while Mari retrieved the horse and tied him to a hitch so he wouldn't run off. Once she followed them inside the salon, she started to give her nephew a look over. "Jeez, did you clean up the yard with your head?" she joked as she found twigs and hay sticking out of his long blonde hair.  
  
"Well honey, I've seen worse." the salon owner spoke as they closed a privacy divider. "But, don't you worry. We'll turn this sow's ear into a silk purse."  
  
It was almost in the blink of an eye as Yurio was being undressed and ushered into a tub of water, upon which he yowled and nearly jumped out. **_"Holy shit, it's fucking freezing!"_** he exclaimed, rubbing his arms.  
  
"It would have been warm if you were on time, darling." Viktor teased his son.  
  
Yurio had his hair washed and brushed, body scrubbed with pleasant-smelling soaps and soaked in the water for a short time until he was instructed to get out. Upon that happening he was being dried off as his clothes were selected, and Mari brushed his hair for him. Having never married, she helped to keep the house clean, and also worked at the tea house when Yuri found he was unable to do so himself. Over the years she had also bonded with her nephew by helping him to care for his blonde hair, which he had grown out after hearing that Viktor had long hair in his youth. Yurio was often complimented on it, not just for its length, but for the beautiful shade of blonde; light and airy like sunshine. Mari soon wrapped his hair up into a bun, tying it in place with a white ribbon.  
  
A white kimono patterned with embroidered lilies was what Yurio was soon dressed in, feet slipped into pure white tabi before stepping into wooden geta sandals. Then he had to sit still while white make-up was practically caked onto his face, along with blush on his cheeks, red lipstick and blue eye make-up. When everything was done and a mirror was held up to his face his eyes widened at his reflection. He almost couldn't believe it was really him; he hadn't ever looked like this before.  
  
When the curtain was pulled open, Viktor was able to see his son in full now. He gasped and placed a hand over his mouth, feeling his eyes starting to water up. "Oh, my baby boy... you look so beautiful." he uttered, his lips pulling up into a soft smile. "Like a little porcelain doll."  
  
"I-I don't know about all this, Papa..." Yurio muttered, carefully scratching an itch on the side of his head so he wouldn't mess up his bun. "I don't feel like me."  
  
Viktor paced over to him, gently placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "Darling, it isn't about how you look. It's about who you are. That's what the matchmaker will focus on." he told him. With a smile, he gently tilted his son's chin up a bit. "Don't be so nervous, you'll do just fine."  
  
Yurio glanced to the side, but he took a deep breath and let it out before he gave a nod. "Well... alright. I guess... I guess I'm ready, now."  
  
"Ah-ah, not just yet." Yurio blinked as Mari came up to him again, taking something from her pocket and holding it up. "Beads of jade, for beauty and luck. The same ones your grandmother wore when she met your grandfather." she said, placing them around her nephew's neck. "Now walk out there and proudly show how strong you are, and even you can't blow it."  
  
Yurio felt almost as if the weight of his ancestors now rested on his shoulders, his fingers gently brushing over the green beads around his neck. Of course, it was an honor just to wear them, and he gave his aunt a polite smile and small bow. "Thank you, Mari-baba."  
  
Mari smiled in pride, patting his shoulder and handed him his parasol. "Come on now, let's get going so we don't miss our appointment."  
  
Yurio nodded, taking the sky blue parasol from his aunt before stepping down from the dressing stool. Viktor took his arm and walked with him, helping ease the nervous bubble in his stomach. Mari followed closely behind the two of them, a look of pride washed over her face.  
  
The blonde, on the other hand, felt as if all eyes were on him as they strolled to the matchmaker's. He kept his eyes focused ahead of himself, holding onto his father's arm a bit tightly. The walk wasn't long, but it felt like an eternity, especially when Yurio felt as if he could hear his heart pounding his ears. Upon their entering the building, he saw a line of others seated on tatami mats, all dressed and dolled up similar to the way he was. The very first mat was free, as Yurio's appointment was first.  
  
"Don't worry, dorogoy," Viktor assured him, gently patting him on the shoulder. "Just be yourself. You'll be fine."  
  
Yurio sighed softly, nodding. Removing his geta, he slowly walked over to the open tatami mat and knelt down on it, holding his parasol across his knees and kept his head bowed down in nervousness. As he sat in wait, he closed his eyes and prayed inwardly. _'Grandparents, hear my plea; help me not to make a fool of myself or my family. Please watch over my mother, and keep him proud and strong.'_  
  
Just a split second before the grandfather clock chimed that it was now one o'clock, the sliding door opened and a middle-aged woman stepped out, holding a list in one of her hands. "Katsuki-Nikiforov?"  
  
Without thinking about it, Yurio picked his head up and stood with a nod. "Present."  
  
"Speaking without permission," she noted, marking something on her paper with an exasperated look on her face. "Not a good start."  
  
Yurio scoffed, brushing a bit of shorter hair that was loose from his bun from his forehead. _"Whatever..."_ he murmured.  
  
She quirked an angry brow and shot a glare at him. "What was that, young boy?"  
  
Yurio feigned a pleasant demeanour. "Why nothing, of course." he said through the grit teeth of a fake smile.  
  
As Viktor watched his son step into the sitting room, he cringed as the matchmaker slammed the door shut behind her. _"He's not going to last ten minutes in there with this harpy, is he?..."_ he muttered to Mari.  
  
Mari rolled her eyes. "You think he'll last more then _five?_ "

* * *

  
  
Yurio was ordered to stay still as the matchmaker circled around him, grabbing his face, inspecting his nails, and had to hold in a sudden squeak when she grabbed his sides and squeezed his hips. "Too skinny." she stated as she pulled her hands away to make notes again. "Not good for bearing children."  
  
The boy scoffed, glaring slightly. "I'm _fifteen_, I'm not popping out kids yet."  
  
The woman's patience was already worn thin, which was made clear by the way she tightened the grip on her pen. "A good bride will also hold their tongue." she told him sternly. "Now then, recite the final admonition."  
  
Yurio slowly sighed through his nose, pulling out his hand fan from his obi and extended it with an almost bored expression. He then began in a rather monotone voice, "Fulfill your duties calmly and respectfully. Reflect before you snack, this shall bring you honor and glory." The woman's brow twitched in annoyance once more, causing him to blink and then, upon realizing his mistake, corrected himself. "Reflect before you _act_, this shall bring you honor and glory."  
  
The matchmaker hummed disapprovingly, jotting something down, muttering something; Yurio could only pick up on "absent-minded" and "childish". Afterwards she turned and ordered him, "This way." Yurio held back from rolling his eyes, or even saying anything at the moment. He lightly bit his tongue as the woman sat down at the kotatsu; he sat down across from her, and had to bite his tongue again when she muttered about him sitting down "without permission" and writing something down furiously. "Now then, do you know how to serve tea?"  
  
"Any moron can pour tea." he replied curtly.  
  
"Not following the final admonition," she muttered, scribbling more notes. She narrowed her eyes at him and warned, "You are not faring well."  
  
_"Skazal vseznayka suka..."_ ("Says the know-it-all bitch") he muttered as he reached for the tea tray.  
  
"And what was that?" she asked.  
  
Teeth were grit once more as he picked up one of the tea cups and replied, "Why, nothing, of course."  
  
"That's what I thought. In order to please your future in-laws, you must demonstrate a sense of dignity and refinement; something you obviously know nothing about." Yurio felt his lips shake over his forced smile as he poured a cup of tea before holding it out to her without another word. "You must also be poised, and _silent_." Before she could grasp the cup, Yurio felt his fingers 'accidentally' loosen his grip, and it spilled over her chest, to which she let out an agitated and shocked shriek. **_"Why you clumsy little brat!"_**  
  
"My _bad_, madam." he replied with a knowing smirk, picking up his tea cup and took a sip. "Looks like you're not very dignified or refined yourself."  
  
The matchmaker saw red and, nostrils flaring, she lunged across the table, spilling the tea entirely and grabbed Yurio by the hair. As a struggle ensued, the tea pot shattered and tea soaked the boy's pure white kimono as he managed to, swiftly, lift up one leg and kick her right in the abdomen before he scrambled to his feet and slid open the door, rushing out before anything else could happen.  
  
At the very sight of his son's now disheveled appearance, Viktor's eyes widened and he looked over his shoulder as Yurio moved behind him. "Y-Yurio, what on Earth happened to you?!" As the woman came into view, his eyes widened again and he asked, "W-what the hell is going on?!"  
  
"That boy is a _disgrace!_ " she shrieked, throwing down her notes in admonishment. "He may _look_ like a bride, but he will _never_ bring his family honor! Good luck marrying him off to _anyone_\--not even a _cow_ would take him as a wife!!"  
  
Yurio furrowed his brow and looked around his father towards the matchmaker. "The only cow I see here is _you!_ "  
  
"Yurio!" Viktor said sternly, pushing him protectively behind his back as the woman looked like a bull about to charge. "I-I'm very sorry, ma'am--"  
  
**_"Out."_** she cut him off. "Get him _out of here_. I _never_ want to see him in here _again!_ " she exclaimed, before turning and marching back to the sitting room, slamming the door behind her again, only for the door to collapse into a pile of sticks and paper.  
  
Viktor stared ahead in shock, before he looked over his shoulder to his son once more. "Yurio... son, what ha--"  
  
Yurio huffed and shoved himself away from his father, brushing past his aunt in a brisk manner as he headed back towards the door. "I knew this was a bad idea." he muttered as he slipped his geta onto his feet.  
  
"Y-Yurio, we can try again with a different matchmaker in a few months--" Mari began, before she too was cut off.  
  
"What the fuck does it matter?!" Yurio snapped as he slammed the door open angrily. "I'm not some stupid little fucking porcelain doll--I'm no good at this!! This isn't what I want to do, I only did this to make Mama happy!!" He let out a rough sigh, running a hand through his half-undone bun, making it fall apart completely. "I shouldn't have even done this, I don't belong here..." he muttered before storming outside.  
  
"Yurio, wait! Yurio!" Viktor called after him as he followed his son.  
  
**_"Just drop it, Papa!!"_** he shouted, running to his horse and unhitched him before hopping atop of him. He pulled the reigns and steered them down the road, messed up blonde hair billowing in the wind behind him, leaving behind the ribbon that had held his bun together in the dirt behind him.  
  
Viktor, placing a hand on his hip and the other ran through his hair, looked down and sighed. "... I should have listened to him, Mari... I thought it was just his nerves, but..." He closed his eyes. "He didn't want to do this, and I disregarded that. I've failed as a father today..."  
  
Mari sighed softly, crossing her arms and stood beside her brother-in-law. "Vik-kun, this isn't your fault. Yurio merely let his true colors shine, and that woman was too old-fashioned to see how... special and unique he is. It's going to take a lot more then one meeting with one simple-minded matchmaker to find the right person for him to spend the rest of his life with..." She stared off after the trail of dust that had risen up behind the horse as Yurio rode away. "He's a wild stallion; he needs to grow up at his own pace, and when he's ready, he'll know."  
  
Viktor, as he rubbed his temple, picked his head up and stared after his son. "I know he will, Mari... I know he will."

* * *


	2. Chapter 2: Reflection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yurio returns home from his failed meeting with the matchmaker, where Yuri cleans him up and has a heart-to-heart with his son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo I wasn't sure when I was going to post again, but I received over 100 views and 11 kudos overnight after I posted the first chapter! T.T So thank you very much!
> 
> We get a little fluff in this chapter... before stuff gets serious in the next one.
> 
> Thanks so much for all of the views and kudos so far, I hope you enjoy this chapter and the chapters to come. <3

* * *

It was a thirty-minute ride back home, when Yurio took his time. However, today was a rare occasion where he wanted nothing other than to go home as quickly as possible. His body trembled as he held tightly to the horse's reigns, knuckles turning white as a result. He didn't dare to cry, not now. Not yet.  
  
As soon as Nikolai heard the sound of horse hooves on the dirt path, he picked his head up and saw the familiar black and white horse with his grandson sitting atop of it. When Yurio rode through the gate, he lifted his arm and waved. "Ah, Yuratchka! You're back, how was..." The moment he saw Yurio dismount and grab the reigns without looking at him, he knew something was wrong.  
  
Yurio led the horse into the stable before he headed into the garden without saying anything. Once he was there, he knelt beside the koi pond and stared into it. Several minutes passed where he stayed silent until, without warning, his shoulders started to shake and, the minute he felt tears rushing down his cheeks, he buried his face in his palms. He shook his head from side to side, teeth grit as he shakily breathed through his nose. _"... YA proval..."_ he uttered, brokenly.  
  
_I'm a failure._  
  
"Yurio," Said boy jumped at the sudden sound of his mother's voice, looking up at him; make-up smudged by tears and a bit of snot coming from his nostrils. He looked as pathetic as a kicked puppy, and yet... with his hair a mess, kimono stained with tea, and face like a broken porcelain doll's, Yuri's gaze was full of softness and love.  
  
"M-Mama... I..." he started, his voice quivering as another sob raked through his lithe body. He turned his head away in shame, looking down, seeing his own broken reflection in the koi pond. "I'm sorry, I'm not what you wanted me to be."  
  
Yuri set down the pail of water he carried, before carefully sitting down beside his son. "Darling, I never expected you to be something you don't want to be."  
  
" _'Just be yourself, you'll be fine.'_ I know, I know... you told me that, Papa told me that... but I still fucked up big time." Yurio sighed softly, smacking the water where his reflection lay before turning his head away again. "Today was a disaster, I brought dishonor to our family..." As his fingers brushed against his chest, he felt the jade beads he'd tucked beneath his kimono to keep them safe. He carefully pulled them out and took them off. "I don't deserve to wear these. My grandparents must feel great shame because of me."  
  
"Never mind any of that right now." Yuri replied, carefully setting the beads aside for now. Gently, he turned his son's head in his direction before picking up one of the rags he brought, dunking it in the water pail. "Let's get you cleaned up."  
  
Yurio sighed, but rather then protesting he turned his body towards his mother to make it easier for him. "Just look at me... I'll never pass for a perfect bride, or even a decent son." he muttered, trying his best to stay still as Yuri started to scrub off the make-up from one side of his face. "Maybe I'm not cut out for this... I tried to be myself, and look where it got me." He squirmed a little when Yuri had to scrub a little harder, since the make-up had dried after it was caked onto his face earlier.  
  
"Darling, I know I must have put a lot of pressure on you by asking you to do this." Yuri told him. "Maybe I shouldn't have asked this of you. You don't need to do this again, until you're ready. Even if you never want to do it again, I understand."  
  
Yurio's lips trembled again as tears dared to poke from his eyes, yanking his chin away from his mother's hold once one half of his face was clean. "Mother, look at me!" he exclaimed as smudges of make-up trailed down his face again. "Look at me... I don't even feel like myself right now. And truly being myself only breaks everyone's heart..." He lowered his head again, turning his head and looked at himself in the reflection of the water again. "I didn't even feel like I was looking at myself earlier when I saw my own reflection... I looked fake. Like a painted doll... trying to be something I'm not. And... and I don't even know who I am, or what I am... inside, or outside..."

Yuri's eyes saddened a little, seeing and feeling how broken his child felt. "I see you, my son. I've felt how you feel; I wondered who was staring straight back at me when I looked in the mirror. I see you for who you are, even if you don't know that yourself yet." He carefully reached out with the rag again, gently starting to clean the rest of his face. "I see a strong, beautiful, confident young man, staring straight back at me. Someone with two, lovely blue eyes." he said, cleaning up the make-up from around Yurio's eye. "A cute little nose..." With a smile, he wiped the rest from his son's nose. "A smile so radiant, it brightens up my worst days." Ruby lipstick was washed away, leaving his lips bare and nude once again. "I see so much more then you can even imagine, my darling." Once his son's face was cleaned up, he gently ran his fingers over his hair. "You are my sunshine, my heart, and so much more then you will ever realize."  
  
The blonde boy sighed, a few tears rolling down his cheeks again, looking downwards once more. "You're my mother... you _have_ to think that way..." he mumbled.  
  
Yuri placed his hands on Yurio's shoulders, holding them gently but firmly. "Look at me," The boy tilted his head up a bit again, meeting his mother's gentle, loving gaze. "I'm your mother. That's why it means so much more." He lifted a hand up to cup his son's cheek. "We are part of each other."  
  
Yurio sighed, gently placing his hand on his mother's. "I know..."  
  
The Japanese man's brow knit slightly, and a moment later he took his hand back. Reaching into the front of his kimono, he pulled out a yin-yang pendant on a silver chain. Slipping it off over his neck, he held it out for his son to see. "Do you remember this; the story behind it?" Blue eyes opened, looking at the pendant he had seen his mother wear for as long as he could remember, to which he nodded. "Two months after you turned one, your father gave me this on our fifth wedding anniversary. It is a symbol of our love; together, we make up one whole from two halves." He then carefully grasped the pendant with two fingers. "On top of that, he had an inscription made on the back."  
  
Upon turning it over, he held it out closer for his son to see what it was. Yurio's eyebrows lifted, reading over the Japanese characters; 百合男 . "Yurio..." Eyes filled with surprise looked up into his mother's warm, brown eyes. "It has my name on it?"  
  
Yuri smiled gently and nodded. "You are a part of us, the physical proof that we are one with each other. Yin is feminine and strong, yang is brightness and passion. If we were not together, we would not have created the most important part of all..." He grasped his son's hand, carefully placing the pendant in his hold. "You. You are our heart, our love, our souls' proof of joining as one." Gently, he closed Yurio's fingers around it, cupping his hand in his. "I was going to wait until your sixteenth birthday, but you deserve to have this now."  
  
A gasp escaped past his lips, looking into his mother's eyes again. "You... you're giving it to me?..." he asked.  
  
The black-haired man gave a firm nod. "Yes, I am." he told him, gently squeezing his son's hand in his. "You are strong, bright and passionate. You are the lily in springtime who is the last to bloom... but when you do, you shine brighter then them all." He smiled, picking a hand up to tuck strands of blonde hair behind the boy's ear. "You are my strong, beautiful Russian lily. One day, you will bloom when you're ready."  
  
Tears dared to peek through Yurio's eyelids once again that day, this time with a warmth spreading through his chest. The corners of his mouth twitched a little as they formed into an upward curl for a smile. "Thank you, Mama..." He leaned over and gave him a tight but careful hug, so as not to cause his mother any unnecessary pain. "This is the brightest part in this shit hole of a day."  
  
Yuri, used to his son's rather unique sense of profanity, gave a light chuckle and gently pat his back as he held him in return. "You're very welcome, my darling."

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who's curious, this is where I found the Japanese text for Yurio's name: https://www.behindthename.com/name/yurio/submitted
> 
> Thanks for reading as always! Hit that kudos button or leave a comment if you feel so inclined. <3


	3. Chapter 3: Short Hair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when the Katsuki-Nikiforov brood thinks that a difficult day is over and done with, the entire town is called to a sudden meeting where it is revealed that China has invaded Japan and they are now at war. When Yurio attempts to take Yuri's place during the draft, he is rejected for not looking Japanese despite his heritage. At home, he tries to reason with Yuri so he can take his mother's place in battle, otherwise Yuri faces certain death. However, with family honor on the line, Yuri isn't willing to risk it.
> 
> After waking up in the middle of the night, Yurio decides to take matters into his own hands, all thanks to accidentally spilling his inkwell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all, sorry that it's been forever since my last update! I'm still working on chapter 5, and chapter 4 is very short so I'm just very slow I suppose. ^^''' But, slow and steady wins the race! Once I can sit down and flesh out the rest of chapter 5 (saying as I have some time off of work until certain real-world things calm down) I will hopefully be able to update more regularly!
> 
> Anyways... this chapter was originally written as two shorter chapters, but I feel like the story flows much better with them merged together. And if you can't tell, the title comes from the Mulan soundtrack itself, "Short Hair".
> 
> And again, since this is fiction, lets assume dying your hair with black ink is feasible, m'kay? XD
> 
> Anyhow, please enjoy the next installment of "The Russian Lily"! I hope you'll stay tuned for future updates. <3
> 
> P.S.: For anyone who has recently left comments on this or my other fic, I forgot that I have to approve comments so some of them may not have been posted but were deleted cuz I forgot about them. >.< Sorry! I may turn off comment moderation...

  
  
  


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A bit later in the afternoon when Viktor and Mari returned home, Yurio had went to take bath and was soaking in the warm water for a while. He could vaguely hear his parents talking about what had happened, and Yuri managing to get them to agree not to bring up what happened around Yurio. For that, the boy felt very thankful and was glad he wouldn't need to engage in an awkward conversation about it.  
  
When he returned to his bedroom after cleaning himself up, Yurio dressed and looked at himself in the mirror. Delicately, his fingers touched the yin-yang pendant around his neck as he took in the sight of himself in the mirror; there was a stark difference to how he felt earlier that afternoon. When Mari had placed the jade beads around his neck, they felt like a burden from the grandparents he never knew. After the talk Yuri had with him, however, things felt different. A weight was lifted, and yet he couldn't quite figure out what the feeling he experiencing was.  
  
To his surprise, however, his thoughts were cut short when Mari knocked and then came into his room. She sat him down so she could brush his hair for him again, tying it into a low ponytail once it was neat and untangled. When she was done, she couldn't help but snort and crack a grin. "You should have seen the look on that woman's face after you left. Even your father couldn't stand her indignant tone when he spoke to her. He was going to offer to fix the door for her, but after trying to reason with her, even he told her she could go to hell."  
  
Yurio blinked, rather surprised to hear that, but let out an amused chortle. "I can't believe he did that!"  
  
"Hey, if he hadn't, I would have done it! Ain't nobody gonna mess around with my nephew." she replied, patting him on the shoulder.  
  
Yurio leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her with a smile. "Thank you, Mari-baba."  
  
Mari smiled warmly and pat his back softly. "Don't sweat it, little man."  
  
A while later, Yurio had decided to prepare dinner for everyone that night, as he felt like he'd made enough trouble for them already that day. However, as they were about to sit down and eat, there was a knock at the door. Viktor went to answer so Yuri wouldn't have to struggle to his feet, and was a bit surprised to find a town messenger with news for them that there was to be a meeting in the town hall at eight PM, and every family was to be present. He nodded and told the messenger he understood before dismissing him, and when he went back to the dining room he relayed this information to everyone else.  
  
Upon hearing it, Yurio paled and swallowed. "Y-you don't think this has anything to do with what happened at the matchmaker's today, do you Papa?..."  
  
"I doubt it, it sounded much more serious then something like that would be." Viktor responded.  
  
"The rumor around town has been that China is trying to invade... you don't think we're at war, do you?" Nikolai asked.  
  
Yuri's eyes widened a bit behind the lenses of his glasses, pushing them up his nose a bit as Sapporo slumbered against his shoulder. "I pray that isn't the case..."  
  
Dinner, made up of fried katsudon and plenty of rice, was eaten in silence. Afterwards, while Mari and Yuri took care of the dishes, Viktor and Yurio went to hitch up the carriage to two of their horses. When everyone was ready, they climbed in and with Viktor up front to control the horses, off into town they went.  
  
Yurio had feared that many eyes were on him after the incident earlier that afternoon, but luckily he didn't hear anyone talking about it as they congregated outside while waiting for the meeting to begin. When the doors opened, he and Viktor helped Yuri to a seat so he wouldn't over-exert himself. Within minutes, everyone was seated and soon the mayor stood up front at the podium, upon which a soldier entered the room to stand a pace away from the man up there.  
  
Suddenly, it grew silent.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, families of all who live here, I'm afraid that the worst has befallen regarding the conflict between the people of Japan and the people of China." the mayor began. "Japan has already assembled troops, and began to fight back an invasion of Chinese soldiers who set foot on our land. We do not yet know of their motivations, however we believe they wish to control and colonize Japan for the people of China to use as they wish. Japan is now at war with China, and we cannot fight alone. The army isn't vast enough for this type of invasion, and so, the emperor has ordered that one man from every family is to be sent for training and, eventually, to fight in battle."  
  
Viktor's eyes widened and he held a breath in his throat; nervously, he grasped Yuri's hand and held it tightly, who squeezed it tightly in return.  
  
"There are, however, a few exceptions to this rule." the mayor went on. "And for this, I will ask that you all turn your attention to the man beside me, Captain Tanaka." He stepped aside as the captain took the podium, and just then two more soldiers entered the room, one holding a bag filled with scrolls.  
  
_"Those must be recruitment papers..."_ Yuri uttered to Viktor.  
  
"Good evening everybody. It is with deep sadness that we report this news, but every man who can help will be greatly valued." Captain Tanaka began. "The requirements are as such: a male from every family under the age of sixty is to report for training where their papers tell them by noon tomorrow. Most of you will not end up in the same camps and troops, so as to decrease chances of distractions and familiarity. If you are a widowed man with children to raise, you are exempt from joining. If you are unable to prove you are able-bodied when going through basic training, you will be assigned to a different task other than combat. A messenger, assistant to a higher ranking officer, or something else. It is also our understanding that there are foreigners who have settled around this area of Japan, so if you were born outside of Japanese soil, you forfeit your right to join. It is required that if you have a parent born outside of Japan, you must have one parent born in Japan in order to accept your recruitment. Recommended age to join is at least sixteen, though in some cases we will accept younger men in place of an older relative. You are not permitted to write home, if the enemy were to intercept letters to civilians it could have dire consequences." There were a few hushed murmurs, however the room was mostly silent when the captain was finished. "If there are any other questions or concerns, you may bring them up as we call out every name."  
  
As the soldier with the bag of scrolls began taking them out and handing them over to the other, Yurio could see the look on his mother's face from the corner of his eyes. He knew he couldn't let him take the papers, so he was going to take them in his place. As they heard last names beginning to be called, he waited on bated breath, feeling his chest tighten when he saw a few tears being held back by Yuri.  
  
Yurio could hear a few younger men taking papers in place of their fathers and the like, and soon felt his heart pound when the solider called out, "The Katsuki family."  
  
Yuri took a deep breath, grasping his crutch and stood himself up with it, limping his way past Viktor only to be stopped short when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Mother, sit down." Yurio told him firmly.  
  
The blonde made his way past his parents, heeding the words they spoke as they fell onto deaf ears. However, as he came into the sight of the soldier up at the podium, he spoke once more. "Foreigners are ineligible to join."  
  
Yurio froze when he heard that, but only for a moment as he made his way towards the man. "I am not a foreigner. I was born and raised in this town. My father is from Russia and my mother is Japanese. I'm as eligible to join in my mother's place as anyone else is for their parent."  
  
"A true man with Japanese blood would not have blonde hair. You cannot accept in your mother's place."  
  
Yurio's eyes widened and he looked over his shoulder, finding Yuri struggling to make his way up towards him. He then looked back at the solider with a smouldering glare. "How dare you. My mother gave birth to me, bathed me, changed me, raised me! He is in no shape to join the army, I have to go in his place! He has a child to nurse, and he can barely walk most days!"  
  
"Yurio, be quiet." Yuri told him in as firm of a voice as he could muster before hobbling past him. As he extended his hand out to take the scroll, Yurio grabbed his wrist and held it away from the papers. "Yurio, don't make a scene."  
  
"The hell I will! I am not letting them send you to die!" Yurio responded.  
  
"If he is unable to complete basic training, he will be given a different assignment, as we already covered." the captain said.  
  
"That doesn't matter!!" Yurio snapped, stepping in front of his mother and held his arms out to block him from them. "What if there's an ambush where he's sent to?! They'll leave him in the dust to die!!"  
  
"In that case, he will die for his country in place of a younger man. Now sit down and be quiet before you bring further dishonor to your family, you insolent brat!" the captain ordered.  
  
**_"Fuck you, I am not letting you take him away from me!!"_**  
  
**_"Enough, Yurio!! Shut up and sit down!!"_**  
  
Blue hues were filled with shock at the tone and volume of the words he heard from his mother's mouth. Turning his head, he saw the look of frustration on Yuri's face, and the serious look in his eyes. "_But..._" Yurio muttered. "But Mother, you can't! Please, don't do this!"  
  
Yuri's brown eyes darkened and narrowed, speaking without a hint of waiver in his voice. _**"Sit. Down."**_  
  
One moment, Yurio was cemented in place to keep his mother away from the recruiters. Then, suddenly, he felt like he was floating away, almost as if he were even watching everything as it happened. Yuri struggled to make it a few more steps forward before he extended his hand out, taking the scroll that was handed to him labeled with the characters for "**_Katsuki _**" on it.  
  
That was when the world stopped turning. In the instance where he saw his mother take the papers in his hand, he knew then that they had just handed him a death sentence.  
  
  
  
  


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The carriage ride home was long and silent; no one dared to speak a word, and the air hung heavy around them all. Sapporo, blissfully innocent to everything, had fallen asleep in Nikolai's lap. When they returned to the house, Nikolai went to put his granddaughter to bed while Mari entered the kitchen to prepare tea for everyone.  
  
Viktor and Yurio were silent as they brought the horses back to the stable, and Yuri seated himself at the kotatsu without a word.  
  
When the tea was ready, Mari was quiet as she poured everyone a cup and handed them out. Yurio stared into his without touching it, and after an agonizing few minutes of the rest of them sipping tea without a word, he suddenly fisted his hands and slammed them down on the surface of the table. "They can't do this, Mother! They can't make you go out there and die for nothing!"  
  
"It isn't for nothing, this is bigger then any of us are. Japan needs me to serve... that's what I have to do." Yuri responded.  
  
"Is there any way of the army accounting for someone who doesn't turn up?" Nikolai asked. "With so many new recruits, it's possible they might not notice if one doesn't show up."  
  
"The army might not notice, but everyone in town will notice." Mari responded. "There is no way to guarantee someone will turn up... but, with family honor at stake, not many are willing to risk it. We'll be ridiculed, maybe even forced to leave town. They'll call us a family of cowards... to dishonor our country like that is a fate worse than death."  
  
"... What if we hide you, Mother?" Yurio asked.  
  
"Yurio, just stop. There's nothing we can do..." Yuri hung his head and sighed, rubbing his eyes beneath his glasses. "Even if I didn't have this injury, I would still be relatively useless to the army because of my eyesight. I know it sounds slim, but... I can still make it out alive if I try."  
  
"Mother, please. Let me go in your place. They can't reject me if I just go for you! They may not think I look Japanese enough, but I am Japanese in my heart and soul. That's where it counts the most!"  
  
"I won't have the world think of me as a coward." Yuri answered.  
  
**_"You're not a coward, you're a fucking moron!!"_** Yurio shrieked. His entire body was trembling, tears already streaking down his cheeks. "I don't give a damn about family honor right now. I care about my mother staying alive for my sake, and my baby sister's sake!! What is she going to do without you?! She'll never forgive the army for doing this to you!! I'll never forgive them for this!! There are plenty of other able-bodied males who can go out and fight for our country, why can't they let you stay home and let the others go in your place?!"  
  
_**"Because that's not how it works, Yurio!!"**_  
  
At the sound of Yuri raising his voice, his son flinched again and stared at him with widened pupils. As he noticed the look on Yurio's face, Yuri's own expression softened slightly. In all these years, he had never frightened him so much. Tears spilled over from his son's eyelids again, the boy turning his head and looking away. "I don't care how it works, Mother..." he whispered before he stood up. "I care that you'd be alive."  
  
Without listening to another word, if anyone were even speaking he wasn't sure, the blonde's mind was too abuzz. He turned and ran out of the room, running outside into the garden...  
  
Viktor had risen to his feet to go after him, but, upon Yuri telling him to let the boy go for now, sat back down.  
  
  
  
  


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The rest of the night went by in a blur. When Yurio returned back inside, he went to his bedroom without a word and retired for the night. As he settled in for a restless night's sleep, he could vaguely hear his parents' voices having a discussion. He couldn't make out any words, but his heart ached so badly already that he could tell it wasn't a happy or casual talk.  
  
Out in the garden, Yurio had done nothing but cry. As he tried to go to sleep, he cried more. Even when he did manage to fall asleep, he was still crying, leaving tear stains on his pillows and drying streaks on his cheeks.  
  
In the middle of the night, his brain wouldn't let him continue to slumber and when he awoke, he stood up and went over to his bedroom window. Sliding it open, the night air breezed its way inside, rustling his sleeping clothes and hair. Blue eyes, surrounded by red puffy skin, stared towards the moon. Lifting his hand up, he brushed his fingers over the hair that lay over his shoulder, slightly mussed from slumber. With a sigh, he turned around and went to his dresser, where he picked up his hair brush.  
  
When he grasped the brush by the handle, he knocked over the inkwell beside it, spilling ink atop of the surface and he swore under his breath; grasping a cloth, he started to sop it up, and suddenly, a moment later, when a bit of ink got on his fingers, his eyes widened and he stilled. Letting go of the cloth, he lifted his hands up, looking at them.  
  
**_"A true man with Japanese blood would not have blonde hair..."_**  
  
Yurio's breathing shallowed, looking at his mirror and brought his hands to his hair, wiping the ink off on it. A faint hue of black began to show up.  
  
_"Ink..."_ he uttered, remembering they had a much larger jar of it in their storage room. _"I've got it... **I've got it!** "_  
  
Without missing a beat, Yurio's feet began to move as his mind raced to keep up with his body's instinctive actions. Stopping in the living room, he knelt at his grandparents' alter and lit an incense for them, placing his hands together and bowed his head for a short prayer.  
  
When he stood back up, he retrieved the large inkwell and a pair of scissors before returning to his room. Setting the items down on his dresser, he took out a scroll of paper and wrote a letter to his family before quietly sneaking into his parents' bedroom. He found them both passed out in their spacious bed, with Yuri's cheek pressed against Viktor's bared chest, and both of them looked like they had been crying. Beside their bed, he saw the scroll with "**_Katsuki_** " on it and picked it up before placing his letter down in its spot, holding the recruitment papers to his chest when he realized he had yet to take off the pendant his mother bestowed upon him. Carefully, he slipped it off and placed it over his letter before leaving their bedroom once more and quietly closed the door behind himself.  
  
Once he returned to his bedroom, he set the papers down on his bed and packed a few sets of clothes and sundries into a bag before putting the papers inside with it and closed it up. He then picked up a stuffed cat that rested on his bed and brought it to his baby sister's bedroom, carefully placing it beside her sleeping body and kissed her forehead, gently running his fingers over her silvery hair before he left her be.  
  
With a deep breath, he then looked at the scissors and picked them up. Standing in front of the mirror, he lifted them up to his hair, placing them at level with his shoulders and soon, began to cut it off at that length. Blonde strands that had once reached his waist fell to the floor around him, and when he saw the end results in the mirror he swelled with pride. He then grabbed the inkwell and cloth, soaking the cloth in ink before he began running it all through the blonde locks upon his head. Pouring ink on his fingers, he combed it through to disguise every strand as well as he could.  
  
When he was done, he looked in the mirror and felt his breath catch in his throat; pale skin, a few smears of ink on his cheeks, and with hair as black as night... there was no way the army could turn him away now. Before he could do anything else, however, he washed the ink from his face and hands, and once it was dry enough he changed into a pair of trousers that fastened at the ankle, and a red long-sleeved tang shirt trimmed with gold. He then picked up a red ribbon and tied his hair up into a small bun, out of his face.  
  
Taking one last look in the mirror, he smiled at his reflection in pride and shouldered his bag before quietly sneaking out of the house. Not waking his cat, Puma Tiger Scorpion, or Potya for short, was difficult enough, but it was harder to get past Makkachin, who was sleeping away in the sitting room, as he often did so as to keep guard over the house at night. Once he made it out of the front door, he slowly and quietly closed it behind himself and made his way to the stables, where he awoke his black and white horse, Tora, and the sight of his changed form frightened the horse. However, as soon as he held up his hands and spoke in his hushed tone of voice, Tora was able to tell it was him, though confused. Gently, he grasped his snout and pet him for a moment to calm him down before readying him to leave. Placing on his saddle and saddlebags, he then grasped the reigns and led him out of the stable, and towards the gate of the farmland.  
  
A heaviness formed in Yurio's chest and, with a deep breath, he looked up towards the sky. Dawn would soon approach, and he had no more time to waste or else he would be caught by someone else awakening to tend to the morning chores, or to see Yuri off. He unlocked the gate and then climbed atop of Tora, grabbing the reigns and with a shout of, _**"Yah!!"**_ they were headed off. Through the gates, racing down the dirt path that led out and away from town.  
  
_'Goodbye, Mother, Father, Ruu-chan... Grandfather, Mari-baba... I promise, I'll come back. I'll make you all proud.'_  
  
  
  


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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! <3

**Author's Note:**

> And that makes for chapter 1! I hope you enjoyed it. I dunno when I'll post chapter 2 (a bit of mother-son fluff), but let me know what you think so far. Thanks for reading! Be sure to leave a kudos or comment if you feel so enclined. ^^


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